President Yoon Suk Yeol held a dinner meeting with former President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Monday, in what marked their first official dinner since Yoon took office.

First lady Kim Keon Hee and Chung Jin-suk, Yoon's chief of staff who had served as a senior secretary to Lee for political affairs, also attended the dinner.

The meeting came around a year after Yoon and Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, briefly met at the funeral of Yoon's father in August 2023.

In December 2022, Yoon granted a special pardon to Lee, who had been serving a 17-year prison term for bribery and embezzlement.

The two sides reportedly exchanged views on a wide array of issues. Ruling party officials said their talks also likely touched on South Korea's deal to build nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic.

Lee, a former entrepreneur, is known for his policies focusing on resources diplomacy as well as exports in the energy and arms industries during his term.